Dating the Traditions about the Prophet’s Mistake in Prayer and Analysis the Social-Political Situation of Fabricating and Spreading these Traditions

In the narrative sources, both sunnis and shiis, there are narrations about the Prophet’s mistake in prayer. These traditions have been transmitted with different matns and Isnads. Most of the shia scholars citing several reasons have considered these traditions fabricated. In this article, using two methods of dating hadiths (Isnad analysis, Isnad-matn analysis) the historical and geographical origins of these traditions have been determined then in the second step using the conclusions of the first step, social-political situation of fabricating and spreading these traditions have been analysed.  The findings show that these narrations were initially forged by Abū Huraira and published in Medina to justify the caliphs’ mistakes in the prayer. Then some intentional or unintentional changes have been made by some of the transmitters of the next generations. It is worth noting that in the Ibn Sirin’s recension it is emphasized that the two first caliphs witnessed the incident. The aim of this emphasize might be making some virtues for the two first caliphs. In the narrations attributed to Ibn Mas'ud, with the fabricated isnads the Prophet’s mistake has been justified by the emphasize on this issue that the prophet is one of humankind. The aim of this recension could be responding to the prevelant belief among Shia in Kufa that the prophet is immune from any mistake.